Canon and Sony News for Dec 2019

 Monday, December 30, 2019
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Posted to: Canon News   Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 12/30/2019 8:21:23 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan
 Thursday, December 26, 2019

Image quality test results have been added to the Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8G S Lens page.

I think you are going to like this lens. Go make some comparisons.

The Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8G S Lens is in stock at B&H | Adorama | Amazon USA | WEX

Rent the Nikon Z 85mm f/1.8G S Lens from Lensrentals.

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Posted to:    Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 12/26/2019 8:29:35 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan
 Wednesday, December 25, 2019

For many households, Christmas brings with it many decorations with a tree being the primary one. Installing the tree is often a large job, the result is generally beautiful, and capturing memories of the annual tree is worth the small amount of effort required to do so.

Help the Christmas tree photo from the start by selecting a great looking tree that fits nicely in your space. "Great" is as seen in your eyes. We have a tall ceiling over our tree's location and our tree height is limited to what I can haul home and make stay upright in the tree stand. Another limitation is that the top of the tree must be reachable using only a step ladder (scaffolding is not an option) and with our space not being large in width, it is nice to have enough space to be able to walk around the tree. The kids always want taller and the parents always want shorter. The parents can better tolerate taller if narrower enters the equation. With a narrow tree, height becomes easier to manage (except for the road clearance issue faced when hauling it home across the back of the SUV's Hitch Haul).

When decorating the tree, ensure that the strands of lights are all the same brand and model, or at least that all of the strands share the same bulb color and brightness. I learned that lesson a few years back when I needed to combine multiple exposures to balance out the brightness differences of our dual-brightness tree.

Do you have windows in the frame with your tree? If so, consider photographing during the blue hour which is really the blue minutes as there will likely be only a couple of minutes of ideal exterior brightness to balance with the indoor light levels, giving your images that extra wow factor. Shooting through that ideal time period will ensure the perfect minute is captured. You likely photographed a tree in the same location at the same time a year ago. Reviewing the EXIF information from a prior year's perfect photo will provide a close estimate of the perfect time for the blue minute shot this year. Then ensure you are set up and ready for that minute to arrive.

While reviewing images from prior years, look at the angles you captured to learn what works well and what doesn't. Repeat and avoid those compositions as makes sense. Also, check the camera settings used for the previous images for guidance on this year's camera settings. Note that changing out strands of lights can change the needed settings due to differing brightness.

Often, turning off all of the lights (or at least the brighter ones) in the house, aside from the Christmas lights, will result in the ideal lighting. If there are windows in the image, watch for reflections in those. Block any problematic reflections (such as the numbers on the microwave display) and take advantage of positive ones (such as the Christmas lights). For the image shared here, a couple of Post-It Notes were placed over the thermostat display. Note that double-pane windows may create double reflections.

With only the Christmas lights providing illumination, the environment is dark. While I like to use a wide aperture lens, I don't use a wide aperture for the Christmas tree photo. Stopping a wide aperture lens down to f/16 or so makes each light into a little starburst and stopped down wide aperture lenses tend to produce the best stars. The narrow aperture also makes it easy to keep the entire scene in focus.

Unless your lights are far brighter than ours, you can expect to need a long exposure at f/16. I usually use 30 seconds and sometimes bump the ISO up modestly to keep from having to wait for even longer exposures. Thus, a tripod is needed along with either a remote release or the self-timer used. I don't mind if the individual lights become slightly blown (pure white), but if an extra-bright decoration is in the frame, I will sometimes exposure bracket with an additional image captures.

Long exposures raise another problem for some of us. While most Christmas tree displays will be motionless, they may not always be perfectly so. Unless your Christmas tree is on a concrete floor, there is likely the potential for the floor to vibrate at least slightly when walked on. Hanging ornaments will likely be the first indicators that the floor has vibrated and if swinging, they will be blurred in 30-second exposures. Planning this shoot for when the rest of the family is not home (or is in bed) is a good idea. You might need to stand very still behind the camera for a couple of minutes before capturing the shot.

Think about the camera angle. A completely level camera is often desired for interior photography such as this and adjusting the camera height and distance from the tree provides the composition desired.

For this year's tree photo, I opted to use the Canon EOS R and RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens. The R's 30 MP resolution was very adequate for my needs and the RF 15-35 delivers impressive image quality. In addition, the 15mm focal length was very attractive for this image capture — and it became even more attractive during post processing. Despite being very careful to level the camera, I still managed to get a slightly tilted (0.6°) image. Straightening an image requires cropping (or creating missing details) and the 15mm angle of view gave me just enough additional angle of view to make that adjustment comfortable. Note how little barrel distortion is showing in this uncorrected image.

As soon as the perfect light was captured behind the windows, I pulled the couch and ottoman out of the way and pressed the shutter release of a second camera that was already set up, providing a completely different image.

From my family to yours, we wish you the merriest, joy-filled Christmas ever!


A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Photo Tips and Stories
Post Date: 12/25/2019 8:29:26 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan
 Monday, December 23, 2019

Sorry - I broke the previous post sometime today - here is the correction

Image quality test results have been added to the Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S Lens page.

Go make some comparisons.

The Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S Lens is in stock at B&H | Adorama | Amazon USA | WEX

Rent the Nikon Z 24mm f/1.8 S Lens from Lensrentals.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 12/23/2019 5:38:26 PM ET   Posted By: Bryan

When first arriving at a beautiful waterfall, it usually seems obvious to frame it nicely and press the shutter release. After getting that basic (though often important) image on the card, it is time to look for variations and these often incorporate foreground elements.

The last image I posted from Ricketts Glen State Park, On the Ledge at R. B. Ricketts Falls in Ricketts Glen State Park, illustrated the use of interesting rock in the foreground of a waterfall image. Another great waterfall composition strategy involves finding an attractive cascade below the primary falls. Moving in close to those lower cascades increases their relative size, balancing their overall weight in the image.

With good water flow (it was raining on this day), R. B. Ricketts Falls turns into a double falls with streams converging into the pool at the base of their falls. The camera position utilized for this image combined the white water of twin cascades to create an X-factor.

As I've said before, one has to work hard to have a bad day at Rickets Glen State Park but conditions made this an especially great day at this awesome location. The Breakthrough Photography circular polarizer filter was a crucial part of the kit on this day, cutting the reflections left by the wet conditions, leaving richly saturated landscape that provided inviting photo opportunities everywhere I looked. The Canon EOS 5Ds R and the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM Lens were the only camera and lens that came out of my BackLight 26L on this day. They were perfect for the needs encountered on this day.


A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Photo Tips and Stories
Post Date: 12/23/2019 10:03:16 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

From the Adorama YouTube Channel:

On cold winters day, being in a warm studio is very appealing. In this video photographer Gavin Hoey shows you how to add warmth to a small home studio shoot by making use of a warm tone wooden background, fabric flooring and and orange colored gel. Gavin also balances the brightness of the flash with 200 battery powered Christmas lights to create a festive feeling portrait.

After the shoot Gavin takes you into Photoshop to do some fine tuning and covers non-destructive cloning to hide the fairy light battery boxes with extra LED's and adds a creative lens flare effect.

Relevant Products Used

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Post Date: 12/23/2019 6:40:40 AM ET   Posted By: Sean

From Canon USA:

Thank you for using Canon products.

It has been confirmed that when using the RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM to perform AF shooting to capture a subject at close-range with the focus distance approximately set to the Tele-end (200mm), the image may become slightly front-focused.

New firmware with improved focus accuracy is scheduled for release in the beginning of Jan. 2020, and once the preparations are completed, we will post the information on our Web site.

Note: New firmware being released at this time is for lenses equipped with firmware version 1.0.5 or earlier. The lens firmware version can be checked in the camera’s menu.

Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens - B&H | Adorama | Amazon US

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Post Date: 12/23/2019 6:04:26 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
 Friday, December 20, 2019

From SIGMA:

Firmware update for SIGMA’s interchangeable lenses for CANON EF mount

Thank you for purchasing and using our products.

We would like to announce that a new firmware update for SIGMA’s interchangeable lenses for CANON EF mount listed below is now available.

For customers who own the SIGMA USB DOCK and applicable products listed below, please update the firmware via SIGMA Optimization Pro.

* Before updating the firmware using the SIGMA USB DOCK, please ensure to update SIGMA Optimization Pro to Ver. 1.5.0. or later for Windows / Ver. 1.5.1. or later for Macintosh

Applicable product

  • SIGMA 28mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art for CANON EF mount

Benefits of the update

  • It has optimized the operation of the aperture control when the lens is used in combination with SIGMA MOUNT CONVERTER MC-21 EF-L.

Applicable product

  • SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Art for CANON EF mount

Benefits of the update

  • It has improved the AF performance when the lens is used in combination with SIGMA MOUNT CONVERTER MC-21 EF-L.

Applicable products

  • SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports for CANON EF mount
  • SIGMA 500mm F4 DG OS HSM | Sports for CANON EF mount

Benefits of the update

  • It has optimized the operation of Mode 2 in Optical Stabilizer when used in combination with the SIGMA MOUNT CONVERTER MC-21 EF-L.

SIGMA Optimization Pro Download page



Firmware update for interchangeable lens for Sony E-mount

Thank you for purchasing and using our products.

We are pleased to announce that a new firmware update for interchangeable lens for Sony E-mount is now available.

Applicable products

  • SIGMA 40mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art for SONY E-mount
  • SIGMA 70mm F2.8 DG MACRO | Art for SONY E-mount

Benefits of the update

  • It has improved the AF performance.

To update the firmware, please refer to this link.

* Before attaching the updated lenses to the camera body, please remove the battery pack from the camera and put it back in again.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: SIGMA News
Post Date: 12/20/2019 5:28:57 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
 Thursday, December 19, 2019

Just because the skies are white doesn't necessarily mean that they should be kept out of the frame. While cloud-covered white skies are sometimes welcomed, especially for the broad even light they provide, they are not usually my favorite for image backgrounds and I often avoid the inclusion of white skies in image backgrounds. However, they can be used to create a sometimes-desirable pure white high key background.

Getting this background is not difficult. Simply find a good subject and align it with the white sky. Note that your camera's meter will want to make a white sky grey (especially if the subject is a white goat) so some positive exposure compensation (or a manual exposure) will likely be needed for such images.

On this day, my daughter and I were chasing mountain goats high in the Rockies and as you have already figured out, the skies were white. The thick cloud cover meant that we could photograph the goats from any angle offered to us without concern for shadows but any sky in the photo was going to be white. Getting into a position that allowed the entire background to be sky and allowing that background to become pure white created a nice portrait.

The versatile and optically-impressive Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens was a great lens to have for this trip. It was the only lens I used for photographing the goats.


A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.

 
Camera and Lens Settings
124mm  f/8.0  1/1000s
ISO 2000
8688 x 5792px
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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Photo Tips and Stories
Post Date: 12/19/2019 10:13:01 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

Image quality test results from the Canon EOS R have been added to the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Lens Review.

This is an awesome lens and these results will not likely surprise you. Create comparisons to see how this lens stacks up against other lenses such as the Canon RF 15-35mm F2.8 L IS USM Lens.

Save $300.00 instantly! The Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Lens is in stock at B&H (4% rewards) | Adorama | Amazon USA

Rent the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM Lens from Lensrentals.

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Posted to: Canon News   Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 12/19/2019 9:18:00 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

From the Godox Photo Equipment Co. Ltd YouTube Channel:

Volodya Voronin is an action, adventure and sports photographer, mainly focusing on extreme sports. Sometimes he gets to dangerous places like mountains and abandoned buildings and works in some really harsh conditions. For him, easy to use, compact flash units from Godox were a good choice for these condition. In this episode of Godox Photography Class, he will show you how these super cool images full of action were all shoot using the Godox AD200Pro and AD600Pro.

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Post Date: 12/19/2019 5:22:48 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
 Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Today I'm sharing a small project I took on, meeting a need that didn't seem optimally met otherwise: Do-It-Yourself Rigid Camera Rain Cover.

As I needed this accessory, I thought you might also, thus I'm sharing. This camera cover was inexpensive and easy to make. Feel free to share any ideas you have for improvements.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Camera Gear Review News
Post Date: 12/18/2019 8:43:20 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

From the Adobe Photoshop YouTube Channel:

Welcome back to 3, 2, 1…Photoshop! In this episode, Adobe Evangelist Julieanne Kost shares how to create a simple stop motion animation using Photoshop. Watch this video to learn how to make your static images come to life.

B&H carries Adobe Photography Plan subscriptions.

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Post Date: 12/18/2019 5:16:31 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
 Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Using a new camera often brings acclimation factors and despite having used the Sony a7R IV for a couple of months prior, I was still acclimating to this camera's enormous 120MB uncompressed RAW file size. We were staying ahead of this big old 12-point buck and it finally cooperated perfectly, walking toward us with the sun was at our backs. While capturing images of him approaching, I was greeted by the memory card full message in the viewfinder.

I had filled a 256GB memory card just as the perfect scenario was unfolding. While another memory card was immediately available, the pause was just long enough to miss the pinnacle of the action. Ironically, the workshop participant shooting next to me filled his Nikon D850's 256GB card at almost the exact same second. While we missed some images, the humor of it is realized and that memory is at least of some value. The lesson here is to monitor card capacities closely — or buy cards with enough capacity to outlast any use given to the camera.

Fortunately I had some good pictures from this buck encounter. When the buck was farther away, I preferred a horizontal camera orientation, keeping more of the grass field in the frame. As the deer approached, the horizontal framing became too tight and switching to the vertical orientation shared here made complete sense for the vertically shaped subject.

The vertical vs. horizontal camera orientation is a choice we are always making. Sometimes the choice is easy and sometimes it is not.

One consideration is how the image is going to be used and which orientation is required for that use. If your goal is to get the image on a magazine cover, going vertical is a good choice. Another big consideration is the aesthetics of the scene. Some scenes look better in one of the orientations.

If the horizontal vs. vertical orientation choice does not have a straightforward answer, shoot both. It is often easier to decide when using a computer display and keeping images shot in both orientations may be the right choice.

While the Sony a7R IV's uncompressed RAW file size has required some acclimation, it has not been hard to acclimate to this camera's 61 MP resolution.


A larger version of this image is available on Flickr.

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Posted to: Canon News, Sony News   Category: Photo Tips and Stories
Post Date: 12/17/2019 10:38:29 AM ET   Posted By: Bryan

From Nikon:

December 16, 2019 – MELVILLE, NY – Nikon Inc. is pleased to announce the release of firmware Ver. 2.20 for the Nikon Z 7 and Z 6 full-frame mirrorless cameras. This firmware update offers several improvements that make these cameras even more powerful, including the addition of support for the next generation memory card, CFexpress. Additionally, Nikon has announced that beginning today, service to install RAW video output functionality will be available for those wishing to add enhanced professional video capabilities.

Support for CFexpress, the New Standard for Speed and Durability

Updating Z 7 and Z 6 firmware to Ver. 2.20 enables the use*1 of CFexpress*2 cards. CFexpress cards are robust and reliable, and support even faster data transfer than XQD cards for a smoother and more efficient photographic workflow.

CFexpress cards use a similar form factor to XQD, eliminating the need to physically modify the camera's memory card slot. After upgrading, users will be able to use CFexpress as well as XQD cards in their camera interchangeably. In addition to the Z 7 and Z 6, CFexpress memory card support will be added to the Nikon D5 (XQD-Type), Nikon D850 and Nikon D500 digital SLR cameras in the future.

Initially, only limited CFexpress card types are fully supported and the number of supported cards will continue to expand as additional cards are tested and certified (Type B CFexpress cards manufactured only by Sony Corp. Availability date for the cards may vary by market).

RAW video output function (4K UHD and Full HD)

Developed in conjunction with Atomos, this capability enables recording of RAW video, which has greater flexibility for color grading compared to other video formats.

With this upgrade, 12-bit 4K UHD or full-HD RAW video can be recorded*3 to select models of Atomos video recorders*4 connected to a Z 7 or Z 6 camera via a HDMI connector. As RAW video is not subjected to in-camera processing, all information that is outputted from the image sensor is preserved. This abundance of information can later be used in post-production.

The RAW video output capability upgrade can be installed at a Nikon service center and will incur a fee but will be included free of charge as part of Nikon Z 6 Filmmaker’s kit bundles. Those customers in the United States who have already purchased a Nikon Z 6 Filmmaker’s kit (Product #13545) will be eligible to have the fee waived (proof of purchase required). For more details about the Nikon Z 6 Filmmaker’s kit, please visit here.

For additional technical information, equipment requirements and instructions on requesting the RAW video output upgrade, please visit: www.nikonusa.com/RAWvideo.

Price and Availability

The firmware update Ver. 2.20 which enables CFexpress functionality is available now, free of charge. Please visit The Nikon Z series Firmware update page to download and find more information.

The RAW video output upgrade is available starting today and will require installation by a Nikon Service Center. A $199.95* fee will apply.

The information contained herein is accurate as of the date of this press release.

Specifications, equipment and release dates are subject to change without any notice or obligation on the part of the manufacturer.? Trade names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

All Nikon products include Nikon Inc. limited warranty. Images are for illustrative purposes only. All Nikon trademarks are trademarks of Nikon Corporation. Nikon Authorized Dealers set their own selling prices, which may vary. Nikon is not responsible for typographical errors.

*1 Type B CFexpress cards manufactured by Sony Corp. only. Operation is not guaranteed with cards from other manufacturers (as of December 2019).

*2 CFexpress is a trademark of the CompactFlash Association.

*3 With the Z 7, full-HD RAW video can be recorded using the FX-based movie format, and 4K UHD RAW video can be recorded using the DX-based movie format.

When the Z 6 is used, recording of either 4K UHD or full-HD RAW video is possible with both FX- and DX-based movie formats.

See the cameras' Technical Guide, available from the Download Center, for details on differences between Z 7 and Z 6 specifications.

Nikon Download Center (https://downloadcenter.nikonimglib.com/en/index.html) *4 The Atomos Ninja V supports Nikon RAW video output, and records videos in ProRes RAW format. Operation is not guaranteed with recorders other than the Ninja V (as of December 2019). RAW video output from a Nikon camera is supported by Ninja V firmware Ver. 10.2 and later.

See the Ninja V firmware download site (https://www.atomos.com/firmware/ninja-v).

*5 See our website for instructions on requesting the RAW output options activation service (www.nikonusa.com/RAWvideo).

*Pricing and availability of the service will vary by region Ninja V® and ATOMOS® are registered trademarks of ATOMOS.

Apple® is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.

Final Cut Pro® is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.

ProRes RAW® is a registered trademark of Apple Inc.

Please speak with Nikon customer service for further details.

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Posted to:    Category: Nikon Firmware Updates
Post Date: 12/17/2019 5:23:28 AM ET   Posted By: Sean
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